Supply chain DRAFT

The mine inside your vape

A disposable holds a fraction of a gram of lithium. Multiply by 178 million and you get a mine's worth of material in the trash.

jonfactor· Jun 26, 2026 ·5 min read

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0.15 gof lithium per disposable vape, the estimate U.S. PIRG uses from Material Focus. Across 178.7 million devices sold a year that’s about 30 tons, enough for 3,350 EV batteries. [1]

Cobalt and Congo

Lithium-ion batteries also use cobalt. The Democratic Republic of the Congo was the world’s leading cobalt producer in 2024, accounting for an estimated 75% of global output and 55% of reserves. [2]

Amnesty International’s 2024 report with the Congolese group IBGDH documented forced evictions, sexual violence and arson tied to the expansion of industrial cobalt and copper mines around Kolwezi. The report notes an average EV battery needs more than 13 kg of cobalt and a phone about 7 grams. [3]

Recycling is the other mine

USGS reported numerous projects underway in 2023 to recover cobalt from lithium-ion battery scrap, spurred by U.S. infrastructure and climate legislation. Every device that reaches a recycler instead of a landfill is feed for that supply. [4]

When batteries are thrown away, EPA notes, the valuable recyclable materials inside cannot be recovered. [5]

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